Health and the Community Youth Competition Winners

18/05/2012

The Southern Health and Social Care Trust in partnership with LIVE UnLtd – The Foundation for Social Entrepreneurs, held a competition to promote health in the community.
The competition was open to young people in the Southern Trust area aged between 11 and 21 years including individuals or small informal groups with good ideas who wanted to meet a need for young people in their area.

Recently, the successful award winners were invited to a ‘Pizza night’ in Armagh Fire Station to celebrate their achievement in being awarded grants of £500 - £3000 to run projects for young people in their local communities.

Paul Morgan Director of Children and Young People, Southern Trust and Co-Chair of Trust in Community said: “This project is part of ‘Trust in the Community’ an initiative that aims to work with other partners to pool resources to meet unmet need for people in the community. These small pots of money enable focused health projects to be delivered for young people, by young people through work across communities to build relationships. I am delighted with the response from the young people and the range of projects including lifestyle programmes; keep fit; promoting positive mental health and “Good Relations” programmes aiming to get to know your neighbour and build understanding and friendships.”

Ashley Whitley, Development Manager, LIVE Awards said: “Through our LIVE Awards UnLtd works to reach out, find, support and provide start-up funding to young people who are determined to change the world around them. We believe that by supporting young people they can find solutions to local problems. Working with the Trust in Community initiative has given UnLtd a brilliant opportunity to reach young people across the Southern Trust area. We are delighted to have funded fifteen budding Social Entrepreneurs through this partnership with the Southern Trust and look forward to seeing their ideas become reality.”

All those who attended the celebration evening in Armagh received certificates and goody bags and took part in a planning session to kick start their projects. Live UnLtd will provide the Award Winners with a package of support, including advice, training, mentoring and other services to give their projects the best chance of success alongside project and personal development support, throughout the duration of the award.